Ostapenko sinks Muguruza, faces Barty in Wuhan semis

Update:
September, 29/2017 - 12:22

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Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia hits a return against Maria Garbine Muguruza of Spain during their women’s singles quarter-final match at the WTA Wuhan Open tennis tournament in Wuhan, in China’s central Hubei province on September 29. — AFP Photo

WUHAN, China — Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko sunk Spaniard Garbine Muguruza at a shock-prone Wuhan Open on Thursday, powering through a tight match to bag a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory against the world No 1.

Ostapenko, the only seed left in the competition, will now square up to Ashleigh Barty in the semi-finals after the Aussie pulled off a major upset against former world number one Karolina Pliskova.

Maria Sakkari of Greece will go head-to-head with France’s Caroline Garcia in the second semi, meaning all four players are aged 23 or under.

Ostapenko, this year’s Roland Garros winner, won the last six games of a compelling match against Muguruza, scoring her first win over a reigning world No 1 and extending her winning streak to eight in a row.

"It’s my first time beating number one in the world and hopefully not the last time," said Ostapenko, seeded eight.

"Today I had no pressure because I knew I’m playing a great player, so I just went out there and tried to show my best and played very well."

Muguruza, who had been hunting for her first victory as the top-ranked player in the world, found herself grappling with a knee injury that has plagued her for the past two weeks.

"I was struggling with my game obviously," she said. "It was a close match at the end, three sets. It was tight."

"Today she (Ostapenko) went for her shots, she served pretty good and she returned very good as well," she added.